A painter once refused to use the paint I purchased because it would require more coats than the paint he normally gets. 

I can tell you right now the cost for sheetrock, labor to install, mud and tape and sand to level 5, prime and 2 coats of paint (7 different colors throughout house), touchups were about the same as what you seem to have been charged. 

However, and I feel very strongly abut this, if you are dealing with, for example, a truly lovely craftsman house with loads of wood trim and character features, or a victorian house, or something else which is spacious enough to work as separate rooms and has a load of character, I feel it is a crime to erase all the walls, slap a coat of hideous grey paint on everything, and put in a glitzy-glammy colorless kitchen open to the majority of the first level.

A thicker plank is usually easier to install as it's a bit more rigid. 

Talk to enough homeowners and you'll soon find someone willing to sell at a wholesale price, especially if the owner lives out of state.Driving for Dollars: The last method is to simply drive around and look for homes in disrepair... things like uncut grass, broken down cars in the driveway, or properties that could really use a fresh coat of paint.

People grew thicker skin because they had to. 

@Catherine Ding  The additional costs of a smoker are the purchase of the ozone generator, and the additional paint prep with wall washing, and a high quality primer coat.

I don't like to sugar coat things and I would appreciate any and all blunt and honest advice/criticism.

Typically these old basement slabs are something like a 3/4" thick slush coat of oncrete over dirt, and are sloping slightly towards floor drains which means the floors are not level, and the ceiling height can range a bit.

Do the walls need a good cleaning or a fresh coat of paint?